Bumper for automobiles.



. R. M. PALMER.

BUMPER FOR AUTOMOBILESI APPLICATION FILED IUIIE 4. IsI.

1,247,569 PatentedlNoI-I. 20, 191?.

Env@ mimv" @may M, .Pmm

1construction and llNl'ltE- @Tensen-iene@ nicht@ l i RAY ivi. PALMER, OF IAsADENA, CALIFORNIA. AssIGNOR or ONE-THIRD To. LOUIs N. HARVEY AND lONE-THIRD To MARION M. PALMER, BOTH OE PASADENA, CALI-- FORNIA.

BUMPER Eon AUTOMOBILES..

matassa.'

Application filed June 4, 1917. Serial No. 172,668.

Toa/.ZZ who/mit may concern:

Be it known that l, RAY M. PALMER, a

' citizen of the .lvnited States, residing at Pasadena. inthe county of Los Angeles and State of California, have invented new and useful Improvements in Bumpers for Automobiles, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to an automobile particularly pertains lto a bumper therefor.' l J dien driving an automobile through crowded city districts' it is Often inconvenient to pass through traffic, due to the enw tanglenient of the horns of the vehicle bumpers with other cars. This is particularly true when the car is being backed into or driven from a parking space.` It is 'the principal object of this invention to provide a bumper which may be used in the front and rear of ay motor vehicle andwhich may be manipulated to permit the car to maiie-uver in a smaller space than would otherwise have been possible, without personal damage r dama-ge to other vehicles.

Another object of this invention is to provide a bumper .which is identical in general appearance with the bumpers in present use and which incorporates features whereby its hornsl may be swung to providefclearance space.

It is a further object of this invention to provide. a bumper formed of few parts, siniple in'their construction, easily -niaiiiifactured and readily assembled, said partsbe ing so designed as not liable tO become broken, or inoperative.

Other objects will appear hereinafter.

The invention is illust ated, by way of example, iii the accompanying drawings in which:

-Figure 1 is a view in perspective illustrating the forward end of a motor .vehicle and particularly showing the disposition of a bumper in relation thereto.

Fig. is an enlarged view in plan illust-rating the bumper with which the present invention is concerned and furthei' discloses lthe normal and operative positions of the Fig. 4 isa view in longitudinal section, as Y55 seen on the line l-l of Fig. 3, illustrating the manner in which the bumper hoi is are secured at the end of the bumper body.

' 'Referring more particularly to the drawings, 10 indicates an automobile having a 60 frame 11 adapted to rest upon a front axle 12. This axle is fitted with front wheels 13, and ll of common design., Secured to the forward end of the frame and in a horizontal position before the wheelsis a bumper 15. `This member is commonly formed of V channel iron,lthe ends of which are curved to form' horns 16 and 1T which extend rear-` wardly and terminate at points 'slightly infront of` and at the outer sides of the wheels. 70.

ln the present construction the horns ai'e not 4 formed integral with the mainportion of the bumper, but' are hinged thereto, as particularly indicated in Figs. 3 and l of the ln thcse views itlivill be Seen A zontal plane. The upper and lower legs of 8'@ the channel arc cut square. as particularly shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings. This forms perfectly smooth lioints which cause the bumper to appear as having been made from a single piece of channel. The channel vE55 legs of the horns of thc'bumper are forn'ied with protrusions which rest within recesses y 2l formed in the faces of spring catch plates and 2G. which are secured within the channels and are adapted to ovcrlap the 90 joints. The platesl 25 and 2G are preferably formed integral from a piccc of channed bar adapted to fitwithin the main channel bar 15. the central web of the inserted channel bar being cut away to lit theI hinge members 20 and 2l and leaving a web'portion '254 connecting the rigid endsl of `the plates. When thc bumpers are in their normal posi-A tion. as indicated by full lines in Fig. 2., the

catch plates will be sprung` over the protru lett sions and will hold the bumper horns in' place. i

In operation, the bumpers are normally in the position indicated by solid lilies in Fig.v

of the drawings. lWhen the vehicle backs 105 it ma)v occur that the horns of the bumper encounter some portion -Of another vehicle. The movement of the bumper will cause the.

viously described.

1 horn to be swung `forwardly in the direction .indicated by the arroj'v--an4 in Fig. 2.- 'This will, ofcourse', release the catch plates from.' the plotrfusions and {Will cause the hornA to assume the dotted line position, as. shown in 2. In" this manner clearancel will l be automaticallymade and an accident avoided. It 'will thus lbev seerf'that thedevice here disclosed is simpleinconstruction, may bel e'a'sily operated and .will in'sure that the :bumpery will not be damaged when encounl.'tering'another vehicle in the manner'pre W'hile I have shown thepreferred formv of my bumperyfor automobiles ,as no W known to me,litis evident that various changes in the, combination, constrnction and 'arrange- 4"IfnVeIit-'of parts may be made by thosekilled of 'my invention.

in the-art -Without departing from the spirit hinge members together, springcatch plates ixedin the ends of the centra] 'channel bai" and extending into the ends of .thehorns and' having catch depressions, `and projections extending inwardly from the anges of the l horns lto engage in said depressions.

In testimony whereof I; have signed my name to this'specification.y

RAY PALMER. 

